It was Tuesday. Yesterday, Callie had a long shift. So, she hadn't been able to come over. Mom told me that she would be coming over today, though- to talk about the apartments.
From Mom and I's talk yesterday, I already had a feeling about which one it would be. Apparently, they were hoping it was one of these four.
Surprisingly, Callie got to the apartment before Mom got home. So, I opened the door.
"Hey Liv!!" Callie greeted immediately.
"Hey Callie. Uh... Mom should be here soon." I said as she walked inside.
"That's alright" She smiled brightly at me.
"Cool." I smiled back. "I was just waiting for her." I said.
I went and sat back on the couch, and she followed.
I watched her for a moment, then spoke up- "What did you think of the apartments?" I was a little curious. I wanted to know what she thought. I assumed she and Mom had talked a little bit. But, Mom said that today they were going to really sit down and talk about it. She also said that they wanted me there to pitch in, too. The whole keeping me involved thing. It was nice of them.
"Oh! They were nice. Some nicer than others." She laughed a little. "I definitely loved the second one!"
That was the one Mom and I liked, too. I smiled. "Yeah, it was really nice." I didn't want to fully talk about it. Mom should be here for that.
Casual conversation got us through the fifteen minutes until Mom got home. And, as always, I popped up to go greet her at the door.
She was smiling huge. "Olive, baby, hi!" Mom hugged me tightly.
That made me smile- she was good. "Hi! How was it?"
"Oh, it was great!" Mom kissed my head, then took off her shoes. "How was school?"
"It was alright." I shrugged.
Mom patted my shoulder. "Callie's already here?!"
"Yes I am!" Callie called out, standing up to greet Mom. They hugged and kissed. I sat back down on the couch, doing my best to not watch.
"Okay, okay. I can't wait any more! What are you thinking?!" Mom asked eagerly.
Callie laughed, "I'm loving the second one."
"Yes! Me too. And Olive!" Mom looked at me.
I gave a thumbs up, smiling.
"I had a feeling" Callie said. "I could just tell when we were in there. It was great."
Mom nodded, "It's perfect."
I kinda just sat there. This really wasn't my conversation, but Mom said she wanted me out there. So, I stayed and listened. I didn't mind. I liked that Mom was so happy. I couldn't keep myself from smiling at that.
"I think so, yeah. The area is wonderful." Callie agreed.
"Literally a short walk from Olive's school, isn't that great?" Mom looked at me.
I nodded, "Yeah. It is!" I agreed. It would be nice. I liked the idea of walking to school. And- I didn't have to change schools. Best part. The idea of changing schools scared me. So, that was what I was most grateful for- no school changing.
"Very much a plus," Callie nodded. "And I just loved the actual complex. It seemed so well kept. That's always good."
"The sliding glass door leading right outside, too." Mom added. "The lawn was beautiful."
They both sounded excited when discussing all the pros of this apartment. There were a lot of pros. I wasn't sure that there were any cons, really.
"Oh, and the rooms were a good size. I liked that even Liv's bedroom had its own little entrance to the main bathroom." Callie continued. "Almost like your own bathroom," Callie laughed, looking at me.
I nodded quickly. "I've never seen that. It was cool. I liked it." I said.
I was grateful for anything. I didn't need my own bathroom. But, I have to say the idea of it was pretty cool. It's not like I would deny that.
Mom smiled brightly at that. "That part was awesome." She pitched in.
I listened to Mom and Callie go down the never ending lists of pros of this apartment. The area, the space, the pool, the complex, the bathrooms, the kitchen, etc. You get the point.
They really loved the place. I had a good feeling about this.
Then.
"The one thing. If you make it a thing." Callie started. "The rent is quite a bit higher than all the other ones." She said it hesitantly.
I would've been hesitant too. Even I didn't know what Mom was going to say. I hoped this wouldn't end bad.
Mom glanced at me. "It is higher, yeah." I couldn't tell how she was feeling. Her tone was bland.
"But, it's one-hundred-percent affordable. For us both, together." Callie emphasized.
I felt my chest tighten. I began to feel that familiar anxiety, worry. I tried to push it down.
Literally nothing was happening.
Mom sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing her shoulders. "Yes." She said quietly.
Callie tilted her head.
"You're right, it is. And if we love it this much, I'm not willing to turn it down because of my pride." Mom explained. "I'll need to work on it. But, you're right. We can afford it. Together."
A little bit of that tension released. I felt like I could breath again.
Callie smiled wide, and leaned over to hug Mom.
Mom giggled, hugging back.
"I'm glad... that you.. you're willing to try." Callie said when they pulled away.
Mom glanced at me. I smiled reassuringly. I was proud of her. I knew that had to be a big step for her.
"I'm glad, too." Mom looked back at Callie.
It was ok. They were good. No arguing.
I didn't know why I got so worked up just at the mention of money. There hasn't even been any yelling. I felt silly.
I know, Mom said that my feelings weren't dumb. But they felt a little bit dumb right about now.
"You know," Callie said, "That apartment is move in ready."